Big Banana Car in Columbus Guest Blog

Laura took a photo of the Big Banana Car in front of her neighbor’s house. Part of the mini The World Needs More Whimsy Tour. The Big banana is built on a “….1993 Ford pickup over the course of two years by Steven Braithwithe”

Rides were available today (until dark)for a donation. The money going to a fund for children without health insurance

Photo by Laura

By the time you read this post, the tour will be over but what fun Laura and Charlie and Roy had on the walk to and from school. Laura face-timed me while holding a Bananas Gorilla (Richard Scarry Busytown) toy. I snapped a couple of screen shots.

I cropped out myself from the Face time call
Bananas Gorilla in his banana car

One more screen shot while Face timing

Do you remember Laura’s neighbor?

Greg created the Art Car (click to see slide show) I know you’ve seen it on the blog.

Throwback Thursday Shirley Temple Doll from the Fifties

The 1937 movie Heidi starring Shirley Temple inspired this doll. My friend has a vintage doll collection. I photographed her dolls in 2015 and had a jigsaw puzzle created from one of the photos.

Dolls prompt mixed responses.

They creep some people out.

Others collect and display them.

Did you have a special doll?

Shirley Temple Doll in my friend’s glass doored cabinet

In 2010 I photographed granddaughter Maura looking at Aunt Linda’s doll collection

A at

Here’s one of the photos from 2010

Just 3 Months Past Date

No Problem. Today I found this tin of chocolates in a box when I cleaned up my “craft room” . I’m pretty sure they were an intended gift. Couldn’t possibly give it now. So I ate one of the bars.

No noticeable diminished pleasure!

Have you eaten anything past date lately?

I took the Best By date a suggestion
Google Translate App comes through

Meet Harry “Good News” Gosnell

The People at Work Series grew by one occupation today. Meet Harry “Good News” Gosnell, awarded Top Volume Sales and Customer Appreciation at #1 Cochran Subaru dealership. Selling Subarus for 19 years is what he’s good at and he’s gotten to go on trips to Colorado, Scotland and San Diego

If you have to buy a car, (just thinking about having to do so made me cringe) Mr. Gosnell treats you the way he would like to be treated. Kind, courteous, respectful and positive all around.

At almost 170,000 miles it seemed unwise to invest a lot of money into my old car cause who knows what might fail next. I do a lot of highway driving, visiting my families in Ohio. Safety features are essential. It was a great reliable run for my 2011 Outback but it was time to commit to a new car.

Being an extremely satisfied customer at #1Cochran in Monroeville, I returned to buy another Subaru Outback. I learned that Harry gets terrific Google Reviews for his test drives. My purchase was his thirtieth sale this month, with six more days to make sales. He took the time to instruct me how to operate all the new high tech and safety features on the 2024 Model.

I asked if I could post his portrait as he made the purchasing a new car, a positive and smooth experience. I wanted to say Thank You, Harry. I know why you got recognized for excellent Customer Appreciation.

Tiny diamonds in the gold pin signify his achievements. There are ten!
Harry took my photo in my new vehicle.
Photo by “Good News” what an apt nickname

Needle Point Breeze

Needle Point Breeze
6734 Reynolds Street
Point Breeze neighborhood
Pittsburgh PA

Last Thursday, I unearthed a needlepoint* project I started in 1981. In fact, I knew which bag in which closet to dig for it. More than halfway completed, I needed some wool fiber to finish it. A good friend recommended Needle Point Breeze. My project is my own design. Can’t spoil the surprise. Stay tuned….suddenly I was inspired to finish it. After all these years.

I came to the right place. Everyone was welcoming and helpful. I received good tips on how to prepare my project for professional finishing, too.

Now you know I do a lot of knitting these days. I’ve been through periods of counted cross stitch, English smocking, quilting, sewing, crewel embroidery, and needlepoint. But not for decades. I’ve enjoyed a multitude of fiber based handcrafts.

*nee·dle·point

ˈnēd(ə)lˌpoint

1. embroidery worked over canvas, typically in a diagonal stitch covering the entire surface of the fabric.

Store Hours
Tuesday and Thursday
10 AM–5 PM
Saturday
10 AM–4 PM

The store represents many canvas designers,
listed on the website
Welcome to Needle Point Breeze
you can order online

if you’re not able to come to the store

Fiber, Canvases, Accessories, Purses, Boxes, Bags, Kits,
Custom Designs and
Finishing Services available
Walls of rainbows.
Fibers varieties wooly, metallic, fuzzy, fluffy, frosty, sparkly, velvety, shiny,
I perused the fiber possibilities
What a light filled, colorful space.
Wool, silk, cotton, alpaca, angora to name a few and combination blends
Christmas ornaments.
Yes, you can needlepoint a partridge.
Embroidery Floss
Paternayan is the type of wool yarn I started my project and there was a basket full of so many colors like a woolly bouquet at Needle Point Breeze (even though the brand is now discontinued) Lucky Day

The top left is Perle cotton and wool
Needlepoint projects I stitched in the early 1980’s that I display in my home in 2023

Pear Season is Here

These are Bartlett Pears.

Mr. Enoch Bartlett of Dorchester Massachusetts named the pears after himself but there are over 150 synonyms around the world for this type of pear. Originally called “The Williams’ bon chrétien pear, commonly called the Williams pear, or the Bartlett pear in the United States and Canada, is the most commonly grown variety of pear in most countries outside Asia” click for history

Tips for buying and ripening Bartlett pears in this CBS news video you don’t want them to get mushy.

Pears. Do you like them cooked or raw?